Chapter 7: Like A Bad Smell

The next morning Nancy was up at the crack of dawn, apparently Sherlock had been up longer. She heard the doorbell ring and knew it was him, seconds later he was knocking on her door, she got up and opened the door to see him looking tired,

' May I come in?' he said cautiously

' Yes I think we need to talk' he walked in and sat on the bed running a hand through his already dishevelled hair,

' What you heard…'

' Saw actually'

' Very well what you saw was nothing, I have no feelings for Irene Adler not even ones of friendship' she sat down next to him

' Who was she to you?'

' A former flame, one who would walk in and out of my life whenever she chose'

' And you don't harbour any old feelings for her?'

' Irene…she…she broke my heart, I rarely let my personal feelings overtake me, you were a rare exception I could not ignore, but she was also and unlike you she toyed with me like I was a pet, any feeling I had for Irene vanished'

' I understand'

' Then understand Nancy that I would never insult you by feigning feelings for you, you have taken over my heart and I wouldn't have it any other way'

' Sherlock I've never heard you talk like that'

' You are the only one I would talk the truth to like that' she smiled and gently ran her fingers over his cheek,

' Does that mean I am forgiven?'

' Forgiven for what?' she said smiling at him, he smiled back and moved closer, his stubbly cheek rubbed against her smooth one before his lips gently touched hers.

Nancy was happy that it had been a misunderstanding; she knew there was no one else in the world she could trust more than Sherlock. They walked through London together and he held her hand without any shame, they got plenty of judgmental looks from the elderly wealthy women who passed them along with mutters of "not even married, look no rings" or "they should be ashamed it's a sin". They both ignored them all; Sherlock's theory was that they were jealous that they couldn't flaunt their lovers in public. When they reached Mrs Hudson's house in Baker Street the entire place was empty, well almost,

' Good morning Sherlock' Nancy felt him flinch the second she heard the American accent drift down the hallway from the lounge, Irene emerged in a cloud of musky perfume and smiled almost maliciously at them,

' Aren't you going to introduce us Sherlock?' she said in a faux warm tone

' Irene this is Nancy, Nancy Irene' he said scowling at her

' Pleasure to meet you Nancy' Irene said inclining her head and smiling smugly

' Pleasure's all yours' Nancy said coldly but keeping her smile plastered on her face,

' So you are the latest woman in Sherlock's life, has he grown bored of you yet?'

' Never' Sherlock said squeezing Nancy's hand tighter

' Hmm' Irene said, as she looked Nancy up and down

' You know I thought you'd be a great beauty but you're quite plain really' Irene said still keeping that stretched fake grin on her face,

' Really well better plain than coated in make up and perfume, don't you think that reads a little desperate, sort of mutton dressed as lamb?' Nancy said returning the fake smile, she could feel Sherlock shudder with silent laughter. Irene's grin faded and she regarded Nancy with a look of pure contempt,

' Well I had hoped the two of us would become friends but I see you are too arrogant for that'

' Really I hoped for the opposite so at least one of us got our wish' she smiled smugly at Irene who threw both of them a filthy look before storming out and slamming the front door. Sherlock paused briefly before smiling and looking at her,

' Well I think that went rather well' she didn't reply, she was on top of him in seconds pulling his jacket off and unbuttoning his trousers. Sherlock didn't hesitate in pulling her dress up and pulling her undergarments down, they fell back onto the carpeted hallway and he thrust into her, Nancy moaned against his lips and gasped as he pulled out and thrust back in. they stayed on the floor, Sherlock was still on top of her and Nancy was still shaking from the intensity of their love making,

' Will she always get this kind of reaction out of you?' he said breathlessly as he smiled at her and kissed her lips,

' What reaction?' Nancy said acting nonchalant

' The reaction where you mark your territory in a place where anyone could have walked in on us'

' Didn't seem to stop you' she said smiling at him, he pushed a strand of pale blonde hair out of her face and smiled

' Believe me my dear there is very little that will stop me where you are concerned'.

Nancy sat in her room and finished putting her hair up, she and Sherlock were going to dinner with Watson and Mary and she wanted to look nice, well more than nice she wanted Sherlock to react how she had earlier in the hallway. She had just finished her hair and was putting her coat on when Sherlock walked in,

' My dear you look absolutely…ravishing' he looked at her hungrily and pulled her tight against him as he kissed her neck,

' Don't start that again we're supposed to meet john and Mary'

' Fine, he always ruins my fun' Sherlock said sulkily. They joined john and Mary, Nancy was amazed that Sherlock and john were able to go five whole minutes before they started to talk about the case; she and Mary ignored them and had their own conversation,

' John tells me you met Irene today?' Mary said smirking as she took a sip of wine

' Yes I did'

' What did you think of her?'

' I think there is a word used to describe a woman like her and it's rarely used outside of a kennel' Mary almost spat her wine out and had to use her napkin to muffle her laughter.

They had a nice meal out, it felt strange to Nancy to see Sherlock and herself as a couple, they'd spent most of their time keeping their relationship quiet, now it was out in the open. Her good mood evaporated when an unwelcome face walked into the restaurant, Irene sauntered in with a wealthy older man who was gleaming at having the bold American on his arm,

' She's like a bad smell' Mary whispered to Nancy

' No that's just her perfume Mary' the two women laughed as Irene made a big show of making herself known and making sure she was noticed, Nancy was just happy they'd finished and were leaving.

She stood in front of the mirror in Sherlock's room and brushed her long hair, Sherlock stood behind her and swept her hair away from one side of her neck, he kissed it gently,

' Come to bed' he muttered as he kissed the soft spot below her ear, they didn't get to the bed, someone knocked sharply on Holmes door and he cursed under his breath,

' Who is it?'

' It's constable Clarke sir, I'm sorry to disturb you but there's another one sir' Holmes froze,

' Go' she whispered and kissed his lips; he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss,

' I'll be back as soon as I can' he grabbed his coat and left, Nancy sat on his bed and couldn't help feeling guilty, she was the happiest she'd been in a long time and all the while girls were being brutally murdered, she hoped it would end soon.